RNZAF Beech Super King Air 300?

[Wildbillkelso]

Hi folks!

As you all know, RNZAF operates five Beech 200 King Airs (designated as NZ 1881 - 1885).
http://www.airforce.mil.nz/about-us/aircraft/kingair.htm
I'd like to deliver a little upgrade to this fleet, consisting of an B300 Super King Air model, to be designated as 1886 (fictive).

This repaint will be based on the awesome freeware Allied FS Group (AFG) Beech Kingair 300. During my Canadian season, I already did an AIR TINDI repaint on this beautiful bird:





The B200 series proved so popular that Beechcraft began work on a successor, with the Beechcraft designation Model 300 and marketed as the "Super King Air 300". The B200's airframe was 'cleaned up' and even more powerful engines (PT6A-60A, rated at 1050 shp) installed in redesigned cowlings (known as "pitot cowlings" due to the reshaped engine air intakes), with MTOW increased to 14,000 lb (6,300 kg).

Will anyone be interested in this fictitious repaint?
I know some British flightsim forums get a little sniffish when it comes down to such fictive works. What do you think?

Cheers,
Markus.

[Ian Warren]

Matey .. you give this thread time , like twelve hour s ..you are going to be swamped with so much and many hi-res photo's it going to make your head spin

[Naki]

There has been several requests in the past for a RNZAF repaint of this model so it should be more than welcomed. There are some civilian B200s in NZ too that could be a repaint subject.

[SeanTK]

YES!

I was thinking about putting in for this exact request on the 300 here, but didn't want to push my luck after my Dash-7 request! This repaint would be amazing!!!!!

[Wildbillkelso]

Ian, your posting is 24 hours old: Where are the pics you've promised?

Don't worry, mate - I found some good basic shots over at airliners.net, allowing this fictional repaint coming as close as possible.
Funny thing about the cheatlines: Seems like I can use the Newman's light and darker blue tones (eyedropped from a photo) again. No need for additional paint cans on the virtual shelf - now that's repaint efficiency!

I maybe could use some help with some of the tiny decals & stencils, but I know where to get the answers!

One question about the kiwi insignia:
Does anyone know if there's any reason to place this bird with his feet towards the fuselage on the wing's roundels?
Compared to other roundels, set top the leading edge, this looks rather odd...

Cheers,
Markus.

[SeanTK]

I can't really help with the finer details, but if this link works properly, it may help:

http://jetphotos.net/showphotos.php?aircra...&display=30

They have numerous shots of the RNZAF King Airs available!

[Charl]

Good idea, Markus!
As part of the RNZAF AI package, Steve Jenks did a very detailed paint of this bird on the Tomkiewicz model.
http://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?CatID...&DLID=58659
Drop him a line - he will probably agree to you ripping off his textures, and will have good reference material.

[Trev]

QUOTE (Wildbillkelso @ Mar 19 2010, 03:12 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

One question about the kiwi insignia:
Does anyone know if there's any reason to place this bird with his feet towards the fuselage on the wing's roundels?
Compared to other roundels, set top the leading edge, this looks rather odd...

Cheers,
Markus.

All of the kiwis on an Aircraft point with their beak into the wind. Just the way its allways been done
Kiwis on the wings allways with their feet facing the fuselage.

I guess not that many nations have an animal as part of the aircraft roundel. The only other ones I can remember are Aussie and South Africa when they had the springbok (replaced by an eagle I think)

[Wildbillkelso]

QUOTE (Trev @ Mar 19 2010, 04:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

All of the kiwis on an Aircraft point with their beak into the wind.

So these aircraft aren't supposed to fly in crosswind conditions, I presume?
But thank you anyway, that's an adjustment rule easy to learn!

@Sean:
Thanks for the hint, mate! Some nice close-ups there.

@Charl:
I'll have a look to the AI rendition. But as the AFG Beech uses very high resolution textures (one reason for looking that good!), I don't think I could make any use of this work done before. I've collected some very good reference pictures, and I think they will do. Concerning the light and darker blue cheatlines, it won't be a bad idea to take the colour values of the official RNZAF ensign, eh?

Cheers,
Markus.

[Ian Warren]

QUOTE (Wildbillkelso @ Mar 19 2010, 03:12 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ian, your posting is 24 hours old: Where are the pics you've promised?

Strange .. so many with the info and the want for one .. the photos .. they have put them-self a hole and thrown a lid over the top ! ... im sure we should see some light over the weekend .

[SeanTK]

Just bumping this to the top so it doesn't slide to the second page! I hope we see more interest in this project!

[Wildbillkelso]

Don't worry, mate!
This repaint will be done!

It's not that I needed a minimum number of prospective customers to release a certain repaint.
One advantage of being a freelancer is the freedom to do whatever I want to do...

But of course I'm glad to see you interested in this one!

There's currently a Noorduyn Norseman standing in the paint shed, waiting to get its "Buffalo" colours (see thread at sim-outhouse), but this Kingair is next in line.

Cheers,
Markus.

[AlisterC]

While you are doing the colours, how hard would it be to drop them on top of the Aeroworx King Air 200 as well? This plane has been crying out for a RNZAF paint too. Though i've heard from one repainter that I know and he said it's not an easy plane to paint.
As much as the freeware one is nice, for those of us who own the Aeroworx, we'd love to see a kiwi scheme on that too.
No pressure, just wondering if it would be simple enough to do both at the same time?
Cheers

[Wildbillkelso]

Hi, Albatross!

Sorry, I don't own this aircraft and don't know anything about its possible repaint issues. I know some payware companies are very inviting on repainters (they simply found out that an aircraft repainted often also sells good...), some others don't.
The repaint-friendly one provide fine kits and don't include any traps in the texture mapping...

I'd gladly provide my layered templates (once they are done, PSP or PSD format) to everyone willing to take over the Aeoroworx Kingair.
Just drop me a line!

Cheers,
Markus.

[AlisterC]

No problem Markus, thanks for your reply. Unfortunately I can't repaint, so I'll keep waiting patiently. I also have plenty of RNZAF B200 photos, but unfortunately I'm living with my parents at present so they are lost in a storage unit somewhere at present. Anyway, there are plenty out there, so I'm sure your repaint for the AFG bird will be excellent.
Once again thanks to all the freeware painters out there!

[gokanru]

Now that the AFG 300 has all the files updated including the prop textures now would be the time to have a NZ repaint done and one that I would be eagerly awaiting so go for it mate, full steam ahead.

[Wildbillkelso]

Guys, I hope you'll be patient!

This repaint is going to be harder than I thought.

First shot:



Looks quite fine so far, but the light and dark blue cheat lines on the fuselage don't have to go "straight" from nosetip to tailcone as in this first attempt.
They ought to be slightly curved and I haven't found the clue yet to get this done. I can already handle some basic elliptic vector shapes but I think this has to be done with Bézier-curves, and my learning curve on these curves is quite flat up to now...

So this one is going to take some time...

Cheers,
Markus.

[Wildbillkelso]

Tried to help me out with some pixeled lines:





Still a little too jagged, but this is something to start with...


One question for the RNZAF hogs:
Do the wings share the same light grey with the belly and the engine nacelles? Or are they white?
Hard to tell from the pics.

[SeanTK]

They look grey to me...

http://jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=13730&nseq=36

http://jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=428239&nseq=19
^^(With this one, I think it just looks white because of the light and the different materials on the wing...)

http://jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=6214102&nseq=3

http://www.airforce.mil.nz/nr/rdonlyres/33.../oh03006010.jpg

http://www.defence.govt.nz/images/2008-ltdp-beechking.jpg

[Ian Warren]

So far a Supreme effort , I did mention floodgate off photos , hmm , there where so many people with Hi-res photos a few years back , i do wonder were they have disappeared .